Reflecting on Islamic New Year| Mufti Abdul Wahab Waheed | Friday Khutbah

Reflecting on the Islamic New Year: The Purpose of the Hijrah

Dear brothers, sisters, elders and youngsters, normally new beginnings and new starts are always reminders that we can reframe, re-center, recalibrate all of the important aspects of our life, the priorities of our life. We're able to reframe what we see to be important, what we see to be a priority. And this is how we're taught in the system of this world — that a new beginning is surely a new opportunity.

And we have in our beautiful religion, as we have just begun the new Islamic year in Muharram, that this is not for us just a new beginning through which we can reframe and recalibrate what we think is important, or to reframe and re-center what we feel is a priority for us. But for us rather, a new beginning of this month and a new beginning of this year is a moment to reminisce and to reflect upon — what was the cause of this beginning? What was the reason why this new year was initiated? What was the reason why we have a new Islamic year? What was the cause? And to reflect upon that cause and see whether or not we fit within that paradigm that allowed this beautiful Islamic calendar year to even exist.

And I am referring to the specific event that allowed for a Muharram to be a Muharram — which was the hijrah and the migration of the Prophet ﷺ — because in Mecca there were no 12 Islamic months. We lived within that society, but the hijrah and the leaving from Mecca to Madinatul Munawwara is what allowed this beautiful community to sprout and to blossom to what it is today.

Why Was There a Hijrah?

Why was there a hijrah? Why was there a migration? Because all of us migrated from somewhere — for the most of us, our parents came from a different country. We also migrated. But what was unique about that hijrah? And what was the focus of that hijrah?

Was it because our Habib ﷺ was not comfortable in Mecca? Was it because he was not welcomed in Mecca? Was it because his family was humiliated in Mecca? Was it because his family name held no worth in Mecca? Was it because there was no peace and security for his family in Mecca? All of those are incorrect. The migration didn't take place because his name held no worth. Rather his name held the most worth — where he was known as As-Sadiq Al-Amin, the most truthful, the honest one. Even when they would have disagreements in their internal conflicts — such as where to put the Hajar Aswad — they would refer to our Habib ﷺ.

Was it that the family was unknown? Rather they were the most well-known family of the Hashemite tribe. Was it because the finances were lacking? He was a CEO of one of the greatest companies of Mecca, owned by Khadijah ؓ, before the coming of his Nubuwwah.

The cause of transition and the purpose of movement was specifically defined — because Islam needed to grow. The focus of the move and the cause of the move was not necessarily to simply be comfortable in the temporal life of this world. But rather the cause of the move was motivated by: how can I, in the community that I have, worship Allah with ease and comfort? Because in Mecca we are unable to call upon Allah. It's not that in Mecca we don't have food to feed our families with. It's not that in Mecca we're not comfortable within our homes.

Because the people of Quraysh told the Prophet of Allah ﷺ: "O Muhammad ﷺ, if you were to ask us to make you the king of Mecca, we would make you the king of Mecca. Please stop calling towards what you're calling towards. Stop living the lifestyle that you are living, where you are giving equality to the slaves and to the slave owners. Stop living the lifestyle that you are living, where you are teaching our people to actually take care of orphans. Stop living the lifestyle that you are living, where you are actually teaching us not to bury our daughters alive. Stop it. It affects our status quo. It affects the societal setup that we have."

The purpose, the reason why they couldn't believe — it's not because it was hard for them to say Allah. Rather Allah in the Qur'an says:

If you were to ask them who is the creator of the heavens and the earth, they would respond by saying Allah is. The difficulty was to accept the fact that now I have to follow a lifestyle which is actually giving everyone their rights. I have to follow a lifestyle where I am accountable for my deeds.

They simply couldn't accept the fact — as a status quo — that I will also be held accountable. Someone will also ask me why I am doing this and why I am not doing that. I can't accept it because I enjoy taking the wealth of orphans. I enjoy turning my cheek away from those who are less fortunate and who have less in this world. So Prophet of Allah, we will give you the kingdom of Mecca if you simply stop living this lifestyle.

The Purpose of Our Migration

We came to this country not simply to take from what they gave us, but to also give them the gift of a Muhammadi lifestyle. We came to this country to show the people of this country that there is a lifestyle that is far greater than all of the isms the world has been shown. There is a lifestyle that shows people how we treat our neighbor — that a person isn't a true believer if they eat to their full and their neighbor is hungry. We are taught a lifestyle that if there is someone struggling in our community and I know of it, that I am not a true believer until I love for them what I love for myself. We are taught a lifestyle that if someone is sick and is struggling within their homes, that it is a right upon me to visit them — because that is what a Muhammadi would do.

We are taught a lifestyle, and that lifestyle is what was the cause of the move to Medina. It wasn't for the worldly benefits, though they came. Medina didn't become a society of wealth and riches and economical growth because those elements are attached to the intention of a person wanting to live a life that is purposeful — wanting to live a life that is intentional — which is to please Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

They came to him and said: "O Muhammad ﷺ, we would give you the wealth of Mecca. All of the wealth of Mecca we will gather and give you stipends on a monthly basis — 10%, 20%, 50% of our wealth will be given to you. We simply don't want you to live this lifestyle in the open."

The people of batil and the people of falsehood are not afraid of falsehood — they are afraid of the truth. Because the truth will always be the loudest voice in the room, and the truth does not need to be equal in number.

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says:

He says: even if that which is filth, even if that which is seen to be falsehood has much stronger allies — like the people that we see who are perpetrating genocide — even if we see that the people of falsehood have more support, it doesn't make it more popular in the court of Allah. And we wish to be popular in the court of Allah. لَا يَسْتَوِيَانِ — it won't be equal. The people of batil are not afraid of numbers; they are afraid of the truth because the truth will stagger their lifestyle.

They said: "O Prophet of Allah, we will give you the wealth of Mecca — just don't live your lifestyle. Don't identify yourself to be a Muhammadi. Change the way you call your name. Change the way you walk. Change the way you dress. Change the people you invite to your homes. Change the people whose hands you wish to shake." Because everything has now become about how I can incentivize my dunya and not about how I can incentivize my akhirah.

They said: "Ya Rasulallah, we will give you the choice of any family to marry into. Ya Rasulallah, we will give you whatever you wish." And the Prophet of Allah, tears in his eyes, looked upon Abu Talib and said: "O my uncle, I'll say it to you so you can say it to them — if they were to place the sun in my right hand and then place the moon in my left hand, and they asked me for even a moment to change my identity, to compromise who I am, to change the way I live my life, to stop calling upon Allah, to stop supporting the orphans, to stop supporting the slaves — tell them I would not even do it for a moment. Because I have the truth, and the truth is the loudest voice in the room."

The Hijrah Was Intentional

This new year was not because the Prophet of Allah needed a new home — he had a home in Mecca. Rather the Prophet of Allah chose to go to Madinatul Munawwara to allow the beautiful religion to prosper. It was intentional. Our move to this country — all of us, and our parents who moved here — we reframe our intention that we moved here to give the people of this country exposure to what Islam is. We moved here to allow many more to become Muslim. We moved here so that people can see the beauty of our religion from the conduct that we have, from the way that we speak, to the dealings that we conduct. Every aspect of our lifestyle — the goal of it should be that I am a Muhammadi.

The hijrah, which was very difficult for the Prophet of Allah — because leaving dunya for the sake of akhirah has always been a tall task, has always been very difficult. It has never come with ease. Because anything which is worth searching for, anything which is worth sacrificing for, comes with difficulty. Where Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says in a hadith qudsi:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2450)

That the price tag of Allah's reward is expensive — because indeed it is jannah.

Leaving Mecca in the Dead of Night

The Prophet of Allah leaves the city of Mecca in the middle of the night while the Meccans are attempting to kill him — the archers and the people holding their spears waiting for the Prophet of Allah to leave his home. He sneaks out, reciting the verses:

And he throws a handful of dirt and walks right through them. Because the reality is: when Allah wishes for something to happen, no power in this world can compromise it, no power in this world can slow it down, no power in this world can stop it. Where the Prophet of Allah told Ibn Abbas ؓ:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2516)

That if the entirety of this world were to gather with all their forces to bring benefit to you or to bring harm to you, they would not be able to do so except if Allah had already written it.

Whatever Allah allows to happen, no one can undo it.

The Cave of Thawr: Everyone Must Play Their Part

The Prophet of Allah leaves in the middle of the night and then finds shelter in Ghar-e-Thawr with Abu Bakr ؓ — his companion who made it the goal of this journey to protect the Prophet ﷺ. He carries the Prophet on his back.

The hijrah teaches us that we all need to play our part. Not everyone can be the Prophet of Allah, but everyone can be the supporter of the Prophet of Allah. That when the Prophet ﷺ came to Abu Bakr ؓ to inform him that he is allowed to go for hijrah, and said to him:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3905)

"Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has allowed me to perform hijrah." Abu Bakr ؓ looked upon the Prophet ﷺ and said:

"Please allow me to be with you on this journey" — this journey on which the entire Quraysh will be looking for them, dead or alive; the journey on which they have a bounty of a camel's weight in gold upon their heads. "But I want to be with you. My goal of life is to protect you. My goal of life is to stand by you." This is what they did to earn their titles.

We can't be the Prophet, but we can be the supporter of the Prophet's sunnah. When people are compromising the sunnah, I in my mind and in my heart make a consolidated effort to protect the sunnah — within my home. Not within someone else's house; that is not my place to speak, not my place to pride. But within my home, within my family.

He takes the Prophet of Allah, climbs the mountain, and reaches the cave of Ghar-e-Thawr. He tells our Habib ﷺ to wait outside, covers every hole inside of this cave, and the last hole he covers with his foot. As the time comes, the people of Mecca actually find them — they reach the mouth of the cave. Abu Bakr ؓ says: "Look up, and I see that the Meccans are walking right on the mouth of the cave, and I say to the Prophet of Allah, my voice shaking: 'Ya Rasulallah, if they simply look down, they will see us. They don't need night vision goggles, they don't need x-ray vision — if they simply look down, we are finished, we are dead.'"

Like the people of Musa and Bani Israel said to Musa when he was stuck in front of the body of water — the sea — and the army of Fir'awn behind him. Completely bogged down, stuck, no gateway, no pathway out. In this moment of no support, in this moment where the world constricts itself upon us and it seems as if there is no way out — the hijrah taught us a lesson: that when we migrate for the purpose of Allah, and when our moves are intentional and our movements are intentional, there is always the support of Allah.

And in that moment, the Prophet of Allah looked upon Abu Bakr and said:

Where Allah reveals: don't be sad, don't be afraid — إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَنَا — verily Allah is with us.

Focus on the "Who," Not the "How"

I'll make this last point to conclude the first khutbah: our responsibility in our movements of earning Allah's pleasure in life is not to focus on the how — it's to focus on the who. In that moment, the Prophet of Allah didn't say to him that "I have a plan." In America, we love to strategize, we love to plan, we love to create plans — which is necessary and important. But the reality is there will come a time when my back will be against the wall: when I lose a loved one, when my family is challenged with a sickness, when my financial state is difficult — and there is no plan. There is no plan when you bury your loved one. There is no plan that can support you when you lose a family member. There is no plan that can help you when someone tells you that your family member only has six months to live. There is no plan that will identify the how for you.

And that is where we understand: the process of a believer is not to be fully engulfed by the how, but rather to be focused on the who. Who is with me? لَا تَحْزَنْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَنَا — don't be sad. Not because I have a plan, not because I can strategize for you, not because I'll give you the plan. I am simply saying: don't be sad because I know who is with us. Allah is with us. And if Allah is with us, I have no purpose or reason to be sad.

When Musa alayhi salam was found stuck between the army of Fir'awn and the sea in front of him, he looked back upon the Bani Israel who said to him:

"Verily we are finished, we are dead." And Musa alayhi salam looked back upon them and didn't say: "I have a plan for you, trust me." He removed himself from the equation. He recognized: "No, I am not the center focus of the world. I am simply present because Allah wants me to be present. I am simply here because Allah chose me to be here." And we remove the concept that I am the center focus of something. No — I am simply an abd of Allah, and if Allah chooses to give me or to take from me, it is all through His divine decree.

Imam al-Husayn rahimullah would say: إِعْطَاؤُهُ رَحْمَةٌ وَأَخْذُهُ حِكْمَةٌ — His giving is mercy, and His taking is His wisdom.

He looked back upon his people and said:

He says: "No way that we will be destroyed — not because I have a plan, but simply because I know Allah is with me. إِنَّ مَعِيَ رَبِّي سَيَهْدِينِ."

The Cause of the Hijrah — and Our Reflection This New Year

The focus of this new year is not to necessarily simply celebrate that Islam is what it is, but rather to reflect upon: what was the cause of this hijrah? What was the purpose of it? It wasn't a lack of security, it wasn't a lack of access to wealth, it wasn't a lack of prestige and fame. It was simply a lacking within the growth of this beautiful religion, and that necessitated the Prophet of Allah to leave Mecca.

Not because he disliked it — rather, he loved Mecca. As he was leaving, he turned back towards the Ka'bah and said to the Ka'bah, crying:

"O Ka'bah, how beautiful are you, how honorable are you — the house that my father Ibrahim alayhi salam built. If it wasn't for your people doing what they did to us Muslims, I would never have left you, and I would never leave you."

And hence, when the Prophet of Allah entered back into Mecca, he recited the beautiful supplication:

The promise of Allah is true, the support of Allah is there for His people, and those allies that were together consolidating their forces against Islam — they are nowhere to be seen. They have been defeated. As will be the case for these genociders.

But for us — we repurpose our intention and why we moved here, and what was the purpose of our migration. If our migration was for the purpose that Medina was built, then there will definitely be a Medina in America. But if our migration was for the purpose of anything else, then know that that will be the outcome that we will pursue.

The outcome that we pursue is a Medina — and that can only happen if we are intentional with why we came here years ago: 20, 40, 50 years ago. And why we tell our children that we came to this beautiful country, because the goal is to allow the people of this world to be exposed to the Muhammadi lifestyle. Because when it enters into a community, it brings nothing but goodness.

The Transformation of Yathrib into Madinatul Munawwara

The Prophet of Allah entered into Madinatul Munawwara, and the moment he entered into the city, the entire city shifted — the output, the trajectory, the abilities of the city shifted with his entrance. Before he came, the city's name was Yathrib, which is defined by sickness. People would avoid the ra' of Yathrib because it gave them nothing but sickness. The Prophet's father passed away in Yathrib. His mother passed away on her journey back from Yathrib. Ibn Hajar rahimullah would say people would avoid the ra' of Yathrib because they were afraid they would get sick.

And then the Prophet of Allah entered. And after entering, how does Anas ibn Malik ؓ describe it?

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 3617)

The entire city was illuminated. And the name of the city changed from sickness to Al-Madinah Al-Tayyibah — the purified city — Madinatul Munawwarah — the illuminated city. This happens when we repurpose our intentions and why we do our migration. And the outcome of that will be a Muhammadi city. And the outcome of that will be built upon me being a Muhammadi representative.

May Allah allow us to be amongst those great people.